Dam.



E. W. LILJEGRAN. DAM.

I APPLICATION FILED JULY 16, 1912. 1,084,454. Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Ernest WLL'Ll/egrau intox/nu,

E. W. LILJBGRAN. DAM.

' i APPLIOATION FILED JULYle, i912, 1,084,454.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ErneZLWLiLljegrcm atto/mug A Patented Jan. 13, 1914.

.l entran srATns. PATENT sonaron.

ERNEST W. LILJ'EG-RAN', 0F MEDFORD, OREGON.

DAM.

Speoication of Letters Patent.

Patented aan. is, i914.

Application led J' uly 1G, 1912. y Serial No. 709,6912.

vide a movable crest therefor which is automatically regulated by the pressure or head of water in the reservoir so as to conserve a maximum amount of water within the reservoir and to automatically provide for high water levels. Y

A further object of the invention is to provide a dam crestingdevice which automatically increases the height of the crest as the water or head pressure decreases in the reservoir and to automatically lower the crest as the water increases in depth in the reservoir so as to conserve a maximum amount of water in low water and to auto-l matically relieve the dam of high pressures.

Further objects of this invention will appear as the following specific description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part=of this application, and in whichf-I- Figure 1 is a top plan view. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1., Fig. 3 is a similar view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a top vplan view of the dam cresting device for curved dams. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-'-5 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent the abutments to which the dam 3 is anchored in any suitable manner. This dam may be provided with a vertical front face and an inclined rear face 5,'as shown, or it'maybe constructed in any other suitable manner. Adjacent the top or crest of the dam 3, a longitudinal channel or man way 7 is formed which iS covered by a 4crest plate 8 -and which is provided with a plurality of outlets 9 which prevent the man way 7 from filling up with water passing into the same from rthe n plate 8.

Anchored to the dam and extending en tirely across from abutment to abutment is a back guard plate 10 which extends up from the rear face 5 and has its forward edge provided with avpacking strip 11. The

plate 10 is connected adjacent its forward end' to the dam by means of struts 12. Secured immediately in front of the same to the dam face 5 are a plurality of hinge ele* ments 13 to which are pivotally connected correspondin or coacting hinge elements 14. The shaft which connects the hinge elements 13 and 14 together extends the entire length of the dam on a straight dam or may be made up in a plurality of sections as is found`desirable.r -The hinge element or elements 14, as the case may be, have secured theretoa plurality of gates 15 normally held 1n elevated position by spiral springs 16 which surround the shaft 17 The two free ends of each spring are connected `to the crest plate 8, their intermediate. portions being wound around the shaft in spiral form and the connecting yoke portion in. each frame being seatedbeneath the gate, as shown in Figs. land 3. The position of the gate with a normal head of water is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 8 and in this position,

' the rear face of each gate engages the packing strip 11, while the forward or under face of the gate engagesl a similar packing strip 18 carried'by the hinge elements 13.

- In order to prevent water from passing between the gates, there is hinged to the shaft 17 suitable batteri strips 19 having packingv strips 20 arranged. in their edges on an angle and belng of material which will iex when pressure is applied. These batten strips arenot affected by the springs but, as

will be readily understood, will rise withl the gates under the influence of the spring and be held against said gates by pressure of the water thereon.` The edges of the packing strip 20 are preferably beveled in such a direction that the water will actupon the same to hold the packing strips in tight engagement with the gate. even after a suiicient amount of their inherent resiliency has been lost.

In Fig. 4, a curved dam is shown and in this instance, each gate 21`is hinged to an independent shaft 22 and each gate is provided with independent batten plates 23,

`which plates are connected together by plates `shown at 20 so as to prevent any water creeping between the gates which have a V- shaped separation, as shown by the dotted lines in this figure. Under the normal head of water, lthe gates will be held, as before stated, in vertical position, as shown Iin dotted lines in Fig. 3, and as the head of water increases, the gates will be depressed by the pressure thereof against the tension of the springs until they assumeF the position shown in full lines in Fi 3.

In order to lower the gates independent of the automatic action, there is secured to each gate a chain or cable 26 which passes down through an opening formed in the crest plate 8 and runs over a pulley 27 mounted in bearings 28 carried by suitable cross bars 29. All of these cross bars have journaled therein shafts 30 carrying pulleys 31 over which the cables pass to the plurality of pulleys 32 arranged at the bottom of the man way7. From the pulleys 32, the cables extend up and are connected to independent drumsl journaled upon a shaft 35 and operate through pinions 36. These pinions may either singly or jointly be keyed to the shaft, whereby the gates may be operated inde- 1 pendently or jointly,as will be readily understood.- A suitable ladder 37 is formed in the man hole .so that access Amay be con.

veniently had to the man Way for repairsl vof any of the parts' therein. Each gate is also operated. independently in' an automatic fashion so that, should an excessive load of drift or debris strike one of the gates, the gate would yield to the excessive load, release the drift and rise again to its previous position without affecting any other gate.

What is claimed is 1. In combination, abutments, a dam con! vent the flow of water between said gates, ysaid plates being independent of the springs for actuating the gates.

2. A movable crest for dams comprising a Shaft disposed longitudinally upon the top of the dam, a gate pivoted to said shaft, a spring surroundin the shaft and having the ends thereof a apted to raise said gate,

and a stop member mounted upon the dam to hold said tion.

3. A movable crest for dams, comprising a shaft longitudinally disposed upon the top of the dam, a gate pivoted upon the shaft,

gate in a normal vertical post- .a spring having portions adjacent its ends .opposite side thereof.

4. A movable crest-for dams,` including shafts disposed upon the top of the dam. a

gate pivoted upon each of said shafts,

springs surrounding the shafts and adapted to elevate said gate, stop members to hold the gate in a vertical position, plates pivoted to the shafts and adapted to cover the joints between the gates, apacking strip secured adjacent the longitudinal edges of said plates and having the free edges thereof beveled, said platesv being adapted to be held against the gates by the water pressure and said strips to tightly engage the gates to prevent iow of water between the gates.

5. In a weir comprising abutments, a dam between said abutments and provided with a longitudinal extending man way therein opening through the top thereof, plates adapted to cover said opening, a plura ity of spring elevated gates pivoted to the dam at one side of said plates and adapted to be normally held in a vertical position, apertures in said plates, pulleys disposed upon the underface of s'aid plates adjacent the apertures, and pulleys disposed with said ments, chains connected to the free end of the v*gates and passing through said apertures to said pulleys and adapted to be wound upon the drums whereby each gate may be lowered against the action of the spring to lower the crest of the dam.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature in presence of two witnesses. y

ERNEST W; LILJEGRAN.

- Witnesses:

JAMES P.` VAN DEUSEN,

FRED BURK.

lman way, Winding drums upon said abuts. 

